Things to do in May: See ACM-affiliated bands perform at Heard on Hurd

May 9, 2018

Citizens Bank of Edmond's Heard on Hurd, a live music, food truck and pop-up shop celebration in Downtown Edmond, will be featuring three ACM-affiliated bands at the upcoming celebration. The Old Bulldog Band, Dr. Pants and Lincka all have ACM ties - show your support by attending!

ACM's Derek Brown nominated for Tony Award

ACM student Maxwell Moore chosen as Spring 2018 Class Marshal

April 30, 2018

From The University of Central Oklahoma: Maxwell Moore will represent the College of Fine Arts and Design as a spring 2018 Class Marshal with a 4.0 GPA. Moore is an applied technology major from Oklahoma City. After graduation, Moore hopes to pursue a music career in California, as a music or studio technician, as well as design music equipment and produce and write music.

ACM faculty Nick Ley presents at Norman Music Fest

April 26, 2018

Director of our Contemporary Music Business program Nick Ley will be presenting as part of Walrus Audio Effects Ed lineup at the 2018 Norman Music Fest on April 28! He will hold a discussion about selling bi-product and helping musicians identify new revenue streams. He will also be giving away a pedal during each discussion session!

ACM@UCO student Sophia Massad to release single May 4

April 25, 2018

One of our students, Sophia Massad, will be releasing a new single May 4! The single, “Insecurities,” opens with a beautiful piano solo before adding Massad’s powerful vocals and a guitar riff. The single will release on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Google Play and all other music platforms. Listen to the track here.

ACM@UCO affiliated bands to perform at OklaHomeGrown in Tulsa

April 23, 2018

Several alumni from ACM@UCO will be performing in the 2nd annual OklaHomeGrown Music Showcase May 12 at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa! Make sure to check it out and RSVP to the Facebook event!

ACM@UCO alum Garrett Starks featured in Oklahoman

Garrett Starks, ACM alum 2014 and owner of Castle Row Studios, sat down with The Oklahoman to talk about his roots and opening his own business in Del City. Read the full interview.

ACM@UCO student Kale Dumas releases single, "On Paper"

April 18, 2018

ACM@UCO sophomore Kale Dumas has released his first pop single, "On Paper." The song shows hints of inspiration from bands and artists such as Hansen, John Mayer and Ed Sheeran. In an interview with The Oklahoman, Dumas explained his desire to go far in the music industry and thanked ACM faculty for teaching him more about the recording process.

Metro Music Fest 2018 a hit; see photos from the event

April 11, 2018

With several thousand attendees across 9 stages, Metro Music Fest 2018 was a huge success! We're glad to put on such an awesome event each year and hope to continue bringing the music to the Oklahoma City metro!

The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma will welcome the Lone Star quintet The Texas Gentlemen, diverse guitarist and artist Gyan Riley, and EDM artist Nitti Gritti as headlining acts to Oklahoma City for the ninth annual Metro Music Fest Friday, April 6.

The three will join main headliners The Revolution and Mavis Staples as well as 45 ACM-affiliated bands. The diverse lineup for Metro Music Fest 2018 boasts nine stages across Bricktown that will support different genres of music.

ACM@UCO alumni set to perform at Heard on Hurd March 17

March 14, 2018

ACM alumni The Ivy and Mallory Eagle will be performing at the Citizens Bank of Edmond's "Heard on Hurd" festival Saturday, March 17.

Heard on Hurd prides itself on being an authentic block party-style festival open to the community. Food trucks, shopping and live music are hosted once a month through March-October. Family and pet-friendly, the goal of Heard on Hurd is to promote community involvement and bring in diverse vendors and audiences.

ACM alumni Grayson Hamm, Walt Blythe, Caleb Grey and Brandon Brewer of psychedelic indie-rock band Space4Lease recently dropped their EP, "Bosky Hill Sessions." Caleb Grey and Walt Blythe serve as the general managers for the band with Blythe also serving as the independent group's booking agent. The four-piece formed in 2014 out of Oklahoma City and draws influence from groups such as Tame Impala and My Morning Jacket.

Space4Lease, with special guest Swim Fan, held a release at the Tower Theatre Studio in downtown Oklahoma City the night of the album drop.

ACM vocal performance alumnae and Americana/Country artist Mallory Eagle dropped her first album, "Red Dirt Home," late February. The album highlights many of her musical influences such as Bluegrass, Country, Folk and Roots.

Mallory can be found playing locally around Oklahoma City and at The Rodeo Opry most Saturday nights as the house band background vocalist.

Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson to visit ACM@UCO for a book signing and interview

Just ACM@UCO for a special evening with the First Lady of Rock'n'Roll and the Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson, as we celebrate the release of her autobiography, "Every Night is Saturday Night: A Country Girl's Journey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." The evening will consist of an interview with Wanda, a brief audience Q&A and then a signing of the book.

Judy Collins to present a Masterclass March 9 at ACM

February 27, 2018

Friday, March 9, 2 p.m. ACM@UCO Songwriting Room. Free and open to the public.

Grammy-winning musician, author and social activist Judy Collins will visit ACM@UCO for a Masterclass in partnership with CityRep. Collins has released over 50 albums since 1961 including interpretations of works by Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. Her most recent album, "Everybody Knows," is a collaboration with Stephen Stills and was released September 2017.

ACM@UCO Spotify playlists now available!

If you have been following our Facebook, you've seen us release some pretty nifty playlists curated by faculty and staff as well as playlists featuring our alumni and current students!

Click here to visit our Spotify profile. Give us a like and a follow to keep up with music tastes, samples from festivals and the latest breakout artists.

ACM@UCO student Trevor McBane to take the American Idol stage starting March 11

February 14, 2018

ACM@UCO student Trevor McBane has taken the Spring 2018 semester off of school to audition and compete on American Idol season 1 on ABC Television Network! Starting March 11, we will be seeing Trevor on American Idol and following his journey as "The Guy Under the Hat." Here's a clip of Trevor in American Idol's official video announcement on Facebook!

The Revolution, Mavis Staples to headline ACM@UCO's Metro Music Fest

February 8, 2018

ACM@UCO is proud to announce the main headliners for the 2018 Metro Music Fest: The Revolution and Mavis Staples!

The Revolution, composed of Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Bobby Z, BrownMark and Dr. Fink, is best known as the band behind Prince. The Revolution have two No. 1 Billboard 200 albums – “Purple Rain” and “Around the World in a Day” – and multiple No. 1 singles. The band also has won three Grammys and three American Music Awards. After Prince’s death in 2016, the band remained united to continue to play in his honor.

Two-time Grammy winner and civil rights icon Mavis Staples, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, brings soul and gravitas to the festival this year. Mavis and her five-person band move fluidly between the gospel, soul, rock, rhythm-and-blues and country genres of the American roots music she helped pioneer with her family band, The Staple Singers.

Assistant director Patrick Conlon elected president of OAMS, presents guest lecture to music freshmen

February 5, 2018

ACM@UCO assistant director Patrick Conlon was recently elected president of the Oklahoma Association of Music Schools (OAMS)! OAMS's mission is to spread music education in Oklahoma, particularly in higher education, and Conlon will be heading the charge.

Conlon also presented a guest lecture for freshmen music majors at the University of Oklahoma on how to start a career in the music industry as a classical musician.

ACM@UCO students will release their first EP, "Phases of the Moon"

January 31, 2018

ACM students Chris Krummrich, Triston Lightner and Campbell Young, in addition to OCCC student Sean Kanaly, of psychedelic indie-rock band Don't Tell Dena are releasing their debut EP "Phases of the Moon." The album will be available on Feb. 9 on all major music websites such as iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music and more. "Phases of the Moon" will feature a unique blend of lyrics, synth sounds and futuristic notes in an all-original album.

Don't Tell, Dena!'s musical influences include bands such as Pink Floyd, The Killers, Walk the Moon, and Panic! at the Disco.

In their short time together, Don’t Tell, Dena! hasperformed at a host of venues and festivals including the Belle Isle Brewery, VZDs Restaurant and Bar, Sauced at The Paseo, The Bottle Cap Barn, The Yeti in Tulsa, Metro Music Festival, The Festival of the Arts, Twister Fest, Paseo Arts Festival, and Paramount Theater.

ACM@UCO student Amber Norlin to perform in Carnegie Hall Feb. 2

ACM students get some crazy cool opportunities: student Amber Norlin will be performing in an Honor's Choir at Carnegie Hall Feb. 2!

Under the direction of conductor Dr. Eph Ehly, Amber and the choir will perform:

Ain't-a That Good News arr. by Mark Hayes Christus Factus Est by Bruckner Cry Out and Shout by Knut Nystedt Fare Thee Well Love arr. by James Mulholland Forever Music by Mark Hayes Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier arr. by Dwight Uphaus Thanks Be to God (Elijah) by Mendelssohn Where Have All the Flowers Gone arr. by Dwight Uphaus

ACM alumnus Jason Scott has finished recording his first album, "Living Rooms," and will be holding a show at the Tower Theatre Studio in Oklahoma City on Jan. 19 to support the vinyl release! Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.

ACM travels to Tulsa Tech campuses

November 29, 2017

The month of November was a busy month for student recruitment at ACM!

Brenda Brent and Chris Hicks, along with ACM lecturers Rob Derrick and Travis Tester, traveled to the Riverside and Owasso campuses of Tulsa Tech to speak about the opportunities for careers in the entertainment industry

Huge thanks to Tulsa Tech instructors Walt Bowers and Michael Haggard from Riverside campus and Tim Bell from Owasso campus for having us!

ACM to offer new Session Lab class for Spring 2018

Want to take a course that combines all of YOU in the studio to WRITE MUSIC TOGETHER?? If so, Session Lab is your pathway into the modern world of collaborative music creation!

Coming Spring 2018.

ACM@UCO student band The Ivy's latest single hits more than 500,000 listens on Spotify

October 25, 2017

ACM@UCO student synth-pop and indie band The Ivy released their latest single, "Gold," back in July. The song has hit more than 500,000 listens on Spotify and was also featured on Spotify's Global Viral Chart and US Viral Chart! Listen to the song on Spotify here.

The Ivy regularly perform in the Oklahoma City metro and in Tulsa at various venues. View all of their upcoming shows here.

ACM@UCO contemporary music production student Noah Copeland recently won Best Musical Score at Oklahoma City’s 48 Hour Film Project Awards Show, which took place at the Tower Theatre in Oklahoma City on Sept. 26. Noah recorded the automated dialogue replacement (ADR) and composed all of the music for “The Bar Maid in the Forest,” one of the award-winning films created during the 48 Hour Film Project.

The 48 Hour Film Project is a competition in which participants have a total of 48 hours to complete a film based on a randomly selected genre, a line of dialogue, and a prop that must be included in the film.

OKC-Based Band Haniwa Releases New Album “Violent Sun”

August 28, 2017

OKC-based indie pop band Haniwa recently released a new album titled “Violent Sun.” The LP was recorded and mixed at the ACM@UCO studios by ACM@UCO student Caleb Gray and mastered by ACM@UCO faculty member Kevin Lively. Additionally, band member Dylan Walling is an alumnus of our program. Congratulations to all those involved in this amazing new record. To listen to “Violent Sun” visit https://haniwaband.bandcamp.com.

ACM@UCO Faculty Member Releases New Album

August 21, 2017

ACM@UCO faculty member Sephra Scheuber released her new album “Pieces of Schema” on Tuesday, Aug. 22. The album is the antithesis of a concept album with each song twisting into a new musical perspective, blending the spirit of complex jazz and the spirit of bold punk. Sephra will perform songs from her new album on Friday, Sept. 22 at IAO Gallery located at 706 W. Sheridan Ave. To listen to her album and learn more about her upcoming show, visit her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/sephramusic or her website at http://shmoerecords.com/sephra.

ACM@UCO Performance Program Director Co-Writes Songs on ZHU’s New EP

August 18, 2017

Mitch Bell, ACM@UCO’s Music Performance Program Director, recently co-wrote three out of the four songs on ZHU’s new EP titled “stardustexhalemarrakechdreams”. The EP released on Friday, Aug. 18 and is currently featured on Spotify’s new enhanced electronic playlist “mint.” We are super proud of Mitch and all of the great work he is doing with ZHU!

Garland Jeffreys Master Class 2 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 14

August 17, 2017

Attention ACM@UCO Students! We will be hosting a master class with acclaimed musician Garland Jeffreys at 2 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 14 in the ACM@UCO Songwriting Room located on the first floor of the building. The master class is FREE and open to the public.

Jeffreys is best-known for his 1977 hit single “Wild In The Streets” as well as for his many collaborations and performances with artists including Bruce Springsteen, U2, James Taylor and Lou Reed, among others. He is currently touring to promote his new album “14 Steps To Harlem,” which has received critical praise from USA Today, American Songwriter and Billboard.

Later in the evening, Jeffreys will perform songs from his new album at the ACM@UCO Performance Lab located at 329 E. Sheridan Ave. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at levelland.preferredfan.com. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the show will start at 8 p.m.

ACM@UCO CEO Invited to be Member of 2017 Grammy Hall of Fame Selection Committee

Scott Booker, CEO and executive director of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO), will serve as a member of the Recording Academy’s 2017 Grammy Hall of Fame committee. Invited by Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), this is the second year Booker has...

ACM@UCO Teams Up with Chesapeake Energy Arena to Provide Scholarships to Students

The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) and SMG-managed Chesapeake Energy Arena have partnered to support scholarships for ACM@UCO students as a way of recognizing the touring artists that perform at the arena.